Assignment 2: Final Project: Final Paper and Recommendations

Solutions to the Lead Exposure and Poisoning

Problem Statement

The world has experienced adverse effects which are associated with lead exposure which results to lead poisoning. Some of the effects which the poisoning results to include: damaging the brains especially to small growing children and also to an extent causing cancer. This lead poising especially the lead painting in the construction of houses is a worldwide problem which needs immediate attention by all the stakeholders to help reduce the effects which arise from this lead poisoning (Rosen & Mushak, 2001).

Introduction

There is a need for the stakeholders of this issue to sit down and come up with a solution for the problem to be minimized as it is harmful to individuals' health. The stakeholders, in this case, are the ones who are encouraging the lead poisoning as they buy the products, manufacture the products and again don't test for the levels of lead poisoning among the children. The stakeholders who are the consumers, manufacturers and also the construction organizations which deal with lead products as well as the clinicians who test the level of lead poising are the ones who can solve or make the problem to be worse (Meyer, Brown & Falk, 2008). Hence they should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the possible solutions and implement them in order to reduce the effects of lead exposure to individuals so that health may be enhanced. The solutions are as discussed below.

Solutions to the Lead Exposure and Poisoning

Through legislation which is to reinforce the production of more improved paints with no lead poisoning by the companies that manufacture the paints even if the products will seem to be expensive than the normally produced lead paints. This is an important solution to the lead painting poisoning which is especially with the children as they inhale the painting for quite some time. The manufacturing companies being forced to produce paints free from lead poisoning will help a great deal as no harmful paints will be available in the market, and the housing organizations will be forced to purchase the expensive paintings and apply in the houses. Again because the paints will be expensive which results to houses being expensive to be hired by the consumers from the low-income population, the government of the involved region should come in and subsidize the painting prices (Vostal, Taves, Sayre & Charney, 1974). The advantage of this is that children will live in houses free from poisoning and the houses will maintain their hiring and rent costs hence the low-income population will be safe. The disadvantage is that the government will probably increase the rate of taxation to have the funds for the subsidizing the housing facility which is a burden to the low-income population.

Beside this, consumers should form a consumer association which will help them in having a collective bargaining when hiring the houses from the housing organizations. This will help them to reinforce the housing organizations to use the paints which are free from the harmful lead which may damage their health. Again the housing organizations in as much as they will raise the prices of the rentals, it will not be that expensive as they will have collective bargaining which will help to reduce the renting costs (Meyer, Brown & Falk, 2008). This solution will be appropriate to the low-income population as they will have a voice which will enhance house paints to be harmless and in turn improve good health to their children generations. The benefit of this method is that the consumers will have more voice as they are united but the disadvantage is that the housing companies may increase the costs of hiring houses to relatively high prices.

Furthermore, the clinicians should be more vigilant to test the levels of lead paintings among the children to help reduce the cases of fatal damage on them. When the levels are tested earlier enough, the children may be treated early before the damage becomes severe and this will reduce the impact in their brains as well as other body parts. The advantage of this is that the lead poisoning damage effects will be reduced among the children and they may be completely treated (Rosen & Mushak, 2001). The disadvantage is that the problem will continue to be as children are treated after they have acquired the complications instead of preventing the problem from occurring.

Name of option	Advantages	Disadvantages
Legislation	The manufacturing companies will produce paints free from lead poisons hence consumers will be safe.	The consumers will pay extra money as taxation will have to be increased.
Consumer Association	Consumers will have collective bargaining and hence will force the housing. Organizations to paint houses with lead poisoning free paints.	The housing organizations may increase the rates of the houses to cater for the extra charges of painting.
Vigilant testing of lead levels in children.	Prevent permanent damage of the lead poisoning.	The problem will continue to occur as the solution involves treating after the result has occurred.

References

Rosen, J. F., & Mushak, P. (2001). Primary prevention of childhood leads poisoning-the only

solution. New England Journal of Medicine, 344(19), 1470-1470.

Meyer, P. A., Brown, M. J., & Falk, H. (2008). Global approach to reducing lead exposure and

poisoning. Mutation research/reviews in mutation research, 659(1), 166-175.

Vostal, J. J., Taves, E., Sayre, J. W., & Charney, E. (1974). Lead analysis of the house dust: a

method for the detection of another source of lead exposure in inner city children. Environmental health perspectives, 7, 91.